Kasauli residents in dilemma over exorbitant rent rates

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, January 14

The property here has become among the costliest in the region after the defence authorities recommended an exorbitant rate of Rs 7,65,90,000 for a bigha (around 752 sq m) for conversion to freehold civilian properties in Kasauli cantonment.

The Defence Estate Officer (DEO), Ambala, had written to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, to approve the Standard Table of Rents (STR) of Rs 7,65,90,000 recommended by the defence authorities in January last year.

Conversely, the rate of land ranged between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 45 lakh per bigha in the precincts of Kasauli cantonment. The government owns land in a cantonment area and residents only own structures raised over them. Civilians have been encouraged to get their land converted to freehold in the past few years.

Residents, while opposing the gradual increase in the STR, had taken up the issue with the Deputy Commissioner, who is to ratify the recommended rates. Though they have been pursuing the issue for the past over a year, there has been little progress.

“I decided to get my property converted to freehold but I realised that to do so the value of the land will be calculated on the basis of the STR. Only after the payment of this value, my land will become freehold,” rues Krishnamurthy, who has been residing in Kasauli for the past several decades. He has challenged the exorbitant STR recommended for the 2018-2021 period.

Deputy Commissioner KC Chaman said, “The recommendations of the Defence Estate Officer, Ambala, for the revision of the STR was ratified in the past as a routine but it is surprising to note that its value worked out for 2018-2021 by them was exorbitant, arbitrary and belied all logic. Ideally, the STR should be at par with the circle rates notified by the collector”.

He said that keeping in view these facts, the DEO had been asked to put the STR for 2018-21 on hold. He had also been directed to submit a revised proposal keeping in view the local circle rates determined by the sub-divisional collector, Solan.

“A meeting of the defence authorities was convened a few months ago where they were asked about the rationale behind recommending such high rates but no satisfactory response was received on how such a high STR was arrived at,” said Chaman.

The STR is revised triennally in smaller cantonments on the basis of factors such as land use, potential for development as building sites, sales statistics of similar land etc.